The folding system, for such a vehicle, of course makes it possible to reduce its bulk for storage thereof, but also to carry it easily.
Scooter-type vehicles are known, such as the vehicle described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,097, comprising a chassis connected to a pivot steering assembly around a pivot axis, so that the vehicle can assume a first usage configuration, making it possible to move the vehicle and its user, and in a second, folded configuration in which the chassis is brought against the pivot steering assembly.
Folding is therefore an essential function that is obtained by allowing the chassis to pivot relative to the steering assembly.
This pivoting must of course be prohibited in the usage configuration, in particular to prevent folding during movement.
In devices like that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,097, the pivoting can be locked or unlocked mechanically by a relatively complex system, as for example described in FIGS. 2 to 6 of that document.
More generally, solutions are known aiming to block the pivoting, which are based on the use of a locking or unlocking lever with a tightening lever to reduce the play, a spring latch with a position indexing finger, or a gripping wheel to block pivoting.
The problem posed by all of these solutions is that they are not intuitive and easy to implement, in particular because they require several actions by the user generally involving several parts of the body: the user must, for instance, lower himself, unlock the system by hand, fold the vehicle, lock the system, stand up, etc.
Moreover, most of the time these solutions require finding the “neutral” position of the locking system so as to be able to actuate it. This requires eliminating the stresses exerted on the locking system, such as the weight of the steering assembly or the weight of the chassis.
Moreover, upon use, such solutions tend to acquire play. To resolve that problem, it is possible to attach tightening systems. But such systems still further complicate the implementation of the folding and unfolding of the vehicle.